Croatia Airlines is set to offer the highest number of seats for a winter season in its history as it advances its transition to an all-Airbus A220 fleet. Between October 26 and March 28, the airline plans to operate 9.811 flights, providing a total of 1.184.020 seats. This marks a 21% increase in capacity compared to the previous winter. Notably, it is the first time in seventeen years, since the 2008/09 season, that Croatia Airlines will exceed one million seats during the winter period. The upcoming schedule will encompass 27 international routes.
As previously reported, the carrier is extending its seasonal summer services from Zagreb to Barcelona and Berlin, as well as from Dubrovnik to Rome, into year-round operations. In addition, flights from Zagreb to Stockholm and from Split to Istanbul will continue into parts of the winter season. Much of the capacity growth is being driven by the ongoing transition to the Airbus A220 fleet. Croatia Airlines currently operates five A220s, with three additional aircraft expected to arrive by the end of the year, including one of the smaller -100 variants. This fleet expansion will coincide with the retirement of the airline’s last remaining A320, scheduled for February next year, and the continued phase-out of its Dash 8 Q400 turboprops.
While Croatia Airlines will offer record seat capacity this winter, improving load factors remains a key area of focus. During the fourth quarter of last year, the airline registered an average cabin load factor of 66.4%, which declined to 59.9% in the first quarter of this year. The carrier has stated that its growing winter operations reflect its commitment to reducing seasonality at Croatian airports. In line with this strategy, Croatia Airlines has already committed to extending its seasonal summer service between Zadar and Munich into the 2026/27 winter season next year.
